Fish Leong to perform at China’s Spring Festival Gala


Compiled by ALLISON LAI, C.ARUNO AND R.ARAVINTAN

SINGER Fish Leong (pic) will perform at China’s Spring Festival Gala this year, making her the third Malaysian to have been invited to appear on the state- organised Chinese New Year TV show, China Press reported.

The 47-year-old was photographed attending three rehearsals in Beijing, which led to many speculating that the singer wanted to leave nothing to chance in terms of her performance.

Fans spotted Leong on Jan 17 outside the CCTV studio. When Leong saw them, she smiled and waved at them.

Leong, who made her debut in the music industry 25 years ago, will be performing her new song for the first time titled The People Living In My Heart.

It was reported that China began inviting foreign performers to the Spring Festival Gala in 1988 and so far, only three Malaysians have graced its stage.

Apart from Leong, the other two are Ah Niu and Eric Moo.

The Spring Festival Gala, officially titled the China Media Group New Year’s Gala, is a Chinese New Year programme broadcast internally through China state media CCTV.

It is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s most watched programme, with the 2018 edition racking up more than one billion viewers.

The programme features music, dance, comedy and drama performances. It has become a tradition for Chinese families to watch the show on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

> The daily also reported that tomato prices quadrupled recently after harvest in Cameron Highlands fell by 70% due to adverse weather conditions.

Just last month, a kilo of tomatoes cost around RM2, according to Pahang consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Sim Chon Siang.

However, the price has now jumped to RM9.90.

“Due to a lack of sunlight, 70% of the tomatoes planted have not ripened in time for harvest,” Sim said.

The Turuntum assemblyman added that he had not received any reports of abnormal price increase in other goods.

> An elephant in Thailand’s northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu injured five people after being startled by fireworks.

China Press reported that the incident happened on Saturday at a fair organised by the Thai Red Cross Society.

When fireworks were lit as part of the opening ceremony, the noise startled a 10-year-old elephant, which ran across the fair grounds and knocked down five visitors.

Fortunately, they suffered only minor injuries and authorities managed to recapture the elephant a few kilometres away.

It was later found that the elephant’s handler had brought it to the fair in hopes that tourists would pay to feed it. He admitted to not having obtained permission to bring the elephant there.

(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
Other news and views

Next In Nation

Policeman fined RM5,000 for accepting bribe
Kajang Hospital rebrands as Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin Hospital
Quick thinking security officers prevent fire at Johor Baru mall
Muhyiddin calls for white paper to address rice industry issues
MOH to digitalise hospital information systems starting this year
Sime Darby Property welcomes the Year of the Snake with urban biodiversity festivities
Appellate Court dismisses AG’s appeal against leave granted to lawyer to commence judicial review
Floods: Sarawak disaster management received RM2.45mil in contributions
No price increase for Petros LPG across Sarawak
AirAsia named World's Best Low-Cost Airline for 2025

Others Also Read